Hi I have got interview from UCSF.
can any one please share their experience of last year! Especially what burs are they providing? They have mentioned some carbide burs list in their invitation mail but nothing is been mentioned about which dimond burs are they going to provide! It would be easy to practice with those burs if we know before practicals. If any one knows please help .

hi,
i have been invited for the usc and uthsca interviews in oct.. does anyone know what preparations should i make before the exam?? i am from india , need some information on what equipments we need to carry..and if they are the same ones as the ones we use in india..

Hi I have got interview from UCSF.
can any one please share their experience of last year! Especially what burs are they providing? They have mentioned some carbide burs list in their invitation mail but nothing is been mentioned about which dimond burs are they going to provide! It would be easy to practice with those burs if we know before practicals. If any one knows please help .

A long waited clinical exam is over.
It was a pleasant experience of clinical exam.
Most stress less environment you can find here in UCSF.
There was a little surprise in the exam. There suppose to be 2 full gold posterior crown preparation. Instead there was a full gold crown preparation on mandibular molar and PFG preparation on maxillary canine.
Seniors here are so helpful. They will guide you through out your practice session. I would highly recommend every one to attend this practice session.
Staff and professors are very much helpful and friendly especially Mary Pham.
Really One of the best school I have ever been.

I would say it has been one of the best experiences of my life being at UCSF. The school, the faculty and the students are amazing- everyone is so helpful, the friendliest environment I have ever seen
It would be a dream come true for everyone who gets in there. I really wish I am one of them

hi,
i have been invited for the usc and uthsca interviews in oct.. does anyone know what preparations should i make before the exam?? i am from india , need some information on what equipments we need to carry..and if they are the same ones as the ones we use in india..

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I think its late for replay. But still This may be helpful.
Just practice Wax carving and RPD designing.
The only thing different in instruments is Handpiece. Here is states we use high and slow speed handpiece with 4 hole while in india we used 2 hole hand piece. So you might need connector for it or you have to buy whole new 4 hole hand piece. They have already provided the list of the instruments so there shouldn't be any problem. Good luck for USC .

Upenn interview experiance
I had my interview on sept 21st. there were 7 people in our batch. Great school, very friendly people. there were 3 one on one interviews, one with the program director, one with admissions director & one with faculty. It s just basic q's like why dentistry, why upenn, what did u do after graduating from dental school, future goals, hobbies etc. they have like a questionnaire with all these q's so every interviewer goes throu that & also some personnel q's about your family. After iv u get to interact with the pass students. They all r very nice. Then there is lunch followed by a tour of the school. The faculty & students are all very nice & friendly. Also the patient pool is amazing. They also have the ADLEX which allows to take the licensing exam in the school. Also after the preparatoy program u get incorporated into the regular 3rd year class. so there is no discrimination between pass students & regular students unlike nyu or bu. Overall great school with lots of patient exposure, awesome faculty & very nice office staff & students. The only con is its little expensive. But I guess its ok to pay a little more for all the pros they have.

University at Buffalo interview experience:
About 70 invitations went out,mostly to candidates who had given both the parts.The first day was orientation,school tour and panel interview.I was interviewed by 2 professors.They had my file with them and my interview lasted for about 40 min.It was not subject related..but mostly questions like what did you after you graduated,why UB,why you etc
The second day started at about 8.30 and went on till 4.30 continously.We were given all materials and not supposed to get anything.They give matrix bands on plastic retainers.Exam is in manikin and not bench top.We were asked to do all the exercises.
I have been talking to people and found out that this is an awesome program.The professors were very helpful during the interview process.Its nice that they increased the class size and have opened it to (and accepted) international students who are not greencard holders.

Nova university:
I am writing this since I know Nova is coming up and I searched for NOva interview feedback
last year,but couldnt get any.The bench was no surprise...they asked whatever they mentioned
previously.They have a picture on the monitor,so you can always refer and see what they
want.There is also a lecture at the beginning on what they want to see in your preps,pay
attention to that.For personal interview,they asked personal questions along with case history.I
believe they give 4 cases..we have prepare a complete case history on what we want to ask
the patient.So if you have a hypertensive patient..what would you ask him?Its not just 1 line
or so..you have to prepare it in a format like "chief complaint,past dental history,past medical
history,examination findings,treatment planning,any special considerations etc"
Some professors do roleplay..so they might behave like a patient asking the doctor
questions.(be prepared for that too)
It was my first interview and I found this format really scary
Other than that,please check last years invitation thread to know the basis of selection.Its always good to read about the school.

At USC..everyone knows so I cant add anything more other than write down what can help students before they go for the interview.Lots of us had questions whether our handpiece would work in their lab...if your handpiece is a 4 hole,it will definitely work.(brand does not matter..i got mine from ebay) For wax blocks,please order well in advance,if from the school as they might go out of stock.Or else try ebay.
By the way..we prepared for surveying and carving..but were not asked for it during the exam.On the contrary,we had 5 teeth to prep.So thats a handful.They will not provide for anything...they will not see what you got.Just go in and give your best.I hear stories that USC is not a good school...but from what I saw,the building is shining new...the area is not safe,i heard.I spoke to a current student who came on the exam day and he said that its the best program in the country and lots of patients to work on.So do your research before you go to the school...

does anyone knows, which dentoform we have to buy, is it columbia or kilgore?
and anyone knows cheaper way to learn preparation than duggan's?
thanks in advance.

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I don't know if my response was late...but here it goes anyway.

Few schools like UMDNJ,LLU,UCSF (I think) and nova ask for Columbia.
UOP,UB,Colorado ask for Kilgore.
Not sure about other schools.You might want to look at the list of schools you are applying and then see what you want to buy.

Yes..there are videos on YouTube and other sources which you can use to see how to prepare.Read up on shillinburg's crown preps.If you get a chance,try to show your work to current students or practicing dentists.It is a good way to know your mistakes rather than practicing blindly.Get a home set up,including a manikin and practice,practice,practice.

Few schools like UMDNJ,LLU,UCSF (I think) and nova ask for Columbia.
UOP,UB,Colorado ask for Kilgore.
Not sure about other schools.You might want to look at the list of schools you are applying and then see what you want to buy.

Yes..there are videos on YouTube and other sources which you can use to see how to prepare.Read up on shillinburg's crown preps.If you get a chance,try to show your work to current students or practicing dentists.It is a good way to know your mistakes rather than practicing blindly.Get a home set up,including a manikin and practice,practice,practice.

hey guys
does anyone of u know about the interview at temple university as mine is on the 4th feb and i have no idea of wats gonna come as the univ is not sayin anythin ab it.
pls guys any of ur valuable inputs r most welcome

hi, what do you think is a good dress for a man for interview? and are brown shoes good?

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The best thing to wear is either black or dark blue suit, the shirt I would say chose either white or light blue......The best shoes color is black......The tie should be simple light color match with everything else.......Finally you should look classic.......This is my opinion good luck

The best thing to wear is either black or dark blue suit, the shirt I would say chose either white or light blue......The best shoes color is black......The tie should be simple light color match with everything else.......Finally you should look classic.......This is my opinion good luck

sorry again. In this cold winter, how would you dress from hotel to University?
I'm a man. I may wear a suit inside of a buidling in this winter. but, when I'm on the way with the suit, it must be so cold. so, how did you guys deal with this problem?

Do you think it's good to bring a big suitcase with me to interview? in the bathroom of the school, I can change my clothes and put my big , warm sportwear into that bag and get up the formal suit on?

sorry again. In this cold winter, how would you dress from hotel to University?
I'm a man. I may wear a suit inside of a buidling in this winter. but, when I'm on the way with the suit, it must be so cold. so, how did you guys deal with this problem?

Do you think it's good to bring a big suitcase with me to interview? in the bathroom of the school, I can change my clothes and put my big , warm sportwear into that bag and get up the formal suit on?

help please!

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Of course you could take reasonable size back-bag or suitcase with you, schools should provide a place for you to keep your stuff safe during the interview. you could wear a jacket or coat while walking to school and than put it in your back bag, one more thing, I wouldn't advice you to take large suitcase you could ask the hotel to keep it for you even if you have already checked out (you should focus on your interview rather than where to put a large bag.....right?). anyway good luck if you have any other Q I am ready to answer it with everything I know.

Anybody pls let me know how is bench exam of howard university and if program is expensive? actually i already got in nyu and was thinking wheather to attend i/v or not? pls do reply if anybody has experience

USC  The interview was two days. The first day was three case based questions .. something along the lines .. your patient comes to the clinic with this problem. He desire esthetics and minimal tooth reduction or an amalgam restoration or so on. Determine the appropriate indirect/ direct restoration you could do and prepare the tooth accordingly. There were three questions and 6 hours!! Thats a lot of time! Second day was a PBL interview where they give you a case history in pieces of information (totally 4). Its not the answer they are looking for. It is how you get to the process of the answer. So forget the answer. Dont ask me or anyone what it was, because if you do so you will end up in made up thoughts and thats not what you want. It is obvious to the proctors whether you have the answers with you or not. So work your way through. Its nice .. it almost like you are a detective trying to find the culprit in team work.. and thats really fun to do .. I would call it the dentistry version of the program HOUSE .. Hugh Laurie ( He is HOT!!! ).

Pros - Good school simply love the PBL system. We all know our theory .. atleast most of us .. what we have got to know is how to solve a case. I think the PBL curriculum is very intriguing (maybe not the right word). I cant say a lot about this school. Two reasons I was too tired by the time I got to this interview and two I couldnt talk to anyone really about this school. I am still doing my research on this school. As I find more I will tell you guys.

Cons 
From the interview I realized there was zero personalization (maybe not the right word again).
Also, heard some cheating was going on there with the proctors helping the applicants during the practical exam. I dont know how much that would help but still gives a hand over someone not being helped which I think is unfair.

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Hey, I went to USC interview last year and i am on their alternate list. I have read so many different oppinions about this school, what new did you find out?

Hello everyone
I would love to help out. I know what it's like going to your first interview. It's like you're about to hit a brick wall, and you don't know when.
I interviewed a UOP and UColorado so far. Here's what I have to say
(wait listed at both schools by the way);

1) Interview experience (eg. what questions you were asked)

UOP: Very delightful. Everything was carefully organized, and the staff were ok. They try their best to be helpful and put the interviewees at ease.
Q's: Tell me about your school, why UOP, why pay so much money for school, what are your future plans.

UC: Hmm ... let me just put it this way. UOP was much better organized. This is UC 3rd class for the advanced standing program, so they have limited experience with this kind of program. And boy, does it show.
I would not expect much. I will be re-applying anyways. I need my degree plus the University has a very good reputation.
Q's: How did you know about our program, Do you plan on staying in colorado, what are your future plans, what did you do while assisting, tell me about your family. More personaly Q's if anything.

2) Practical exam (eg. what you were asked to do)

UOP: #8 PFM, #30-MO Amal. (prep only)

UC: #3 PFM, #30-MO Amal. (prep only), several "wax" excercises. They give you two types of wax (red and orange) and ask you to make different shapes of wax on a piece of paper/card they give you. Also they give you a rod of green wax/compound and ask you to carve a box into it.
So as you see, it's nothing you can prepare for. But you will have plenty of time.

3) How you prepared for the practical exam

UOP: Practice at office. At UOP they will give you a booklet detailing every single step of the preps. which they will ask of you to perform, and it is very detailed. No worries there. Just stay calm.

Wow, this is a very impressive forum! I've read through many questions on here and just wanted to add a few quick points:

- In terms of what to wear, the only rule is that you should dress professional. Blue, tan, black or grey suits (as long as it's a suit!) are great. Black or brown shoes are fine. You have plenty of things to worry about on interview day -- don't let this be one of them. As long as you have a suit on you should feel confident and comfortable.

- In terms of preparation for an interview, advice here is always a bit tricky. Of course, you can prepare for the practical portion of the exam. But be careful in preparing too much for the actual interviews. You must review in your head the possible questions (why did you become a dentist? why do you want to study in America? etc) and come up with an idea of what you will say in response. Just remember that a natural-sounding response is far better than a generic and obviously scripted response.

Hope these tips help. Let me know if there are any particular interview questions you're having trouble answering.

Wow, this is a very impressive forum! I've read through many questions on here and just wanted to add a few quick points:

- In terms of what to wear, the only rule is that you should dress professional. Blue, tan, black or grey suits (as long as it's a suit!) are great. Black or brown shoes are fine. You have plenty of things to worry about on interview day -- don't let this be one of them. As long as you have a suit on you should feel confident and comfortable.

- In terms of preparation for an interview, advice here is always a bit tricky. Of course, you can prepare for the practical portion of the exam. But be careful in preparing too much for the actual interviews. You must review in your head the possible questions (why did you become a dentist? why do you want to study in America? etc) and come up with an idea of what you will say in response. Just remember that a natural-sounding response is far better than a generic and obviously scripted response.

Hope these tips help. Let me know if there are any particular interview questions you're having trouble answering.

1. Which universities among UCLA,UCSF, USC, SUNY Buffalo allow to disengage the typhodont during practical exam. I have been having real difficulty preparing the lingual side in indirect vision. Also, is it allowed to put on a band to protect the adjacent tooth at these universities?

2. Is their an option to control the speed(to a limited extent) of the handpiece either by foot or hand control?

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At USC and UOP,you are allowed to hold the typhodont in your hand.Suny Buffalo definitely needs the typhodont to be mounted.I am not sure about the other two.
I think at USC,they prefer the students not to use the matrix bands,but usually universities do allow it.

The speed is easily controlled with the foot control.It works just like the accelerator in your car.Sudden hit will ramp up the speed,while light pressure brings a more controlled speed.I think you really need to practice before you go to the interviews.Having a good foot control is very important else your prep is messed up.

They ask these questions because they want to know YOU.They want your answers and not some preformed answers written by someone else.Please do not copy other's answers because you will not be saying it from your heart and interviewers are really intelligent.Be honest and it will show through.

Regarding why this school...look at the school website,look for the courses they offer,why their school is different(some schools are research oriented,some are exclusive for general dentisty etc),speak to students from the school,if you live in the area...visit the school.Schools like it if you have an edge over the others...either in your profile or your research on their school.Good luck.